Challenging schedule awaits soccer coach Brizard's first season at TTU

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- With the coming season marking his head
coaching debut, Tennessee Tech women’s soccer coach Daniel
Brizard has announced the team’s 2010 schedule.

The Golden Eagles will take on 18 different opponents as they
make their way through the challenging regular season schedule,
opening the year with two exhibition matches in mid-August. The
first is in Chattanooga against Alabama on Monday, Aug. 9, and the
second is at home against Tennessee Wesleyan at 5 p.m. on Saturday,
Aug. 14.

Tech will play six of it first regular season matches on the
road, opening against 2009 NCAA Tournament participant Auburn at 7
p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20.

“To face Auburn in the non-conference schedule is very
exciting,” Brizard said. “I think it gives the team a
very tough challenge early on that they should all be excited for.
If you can’t get pumped to play a team like Auburn then you
don’t have a pulse.”

Match-ups at UT-Chattanooga (Aug. 22) and Middle Tennessee (Aug.
29) on the last two Sundays of the month will close out August for
the Golden Eagles, who will commence September with a game under
the lights on Friday, Sept. 3, in Nashville on Vanderbilt’s
turf at 7 p.m.

The team will have a quick turnaround for its regular season home
opener, as they’ll face UNC-Ashville on Sunday, Sept. 5, at 3
p.m., the first of seven home contests on the schedule.

Non-conference contests extend through the rest of the month, as
the ladies will hit the road again or the Samford Tournament, Sept.
10-12, where they’ll take on Georgia Southern and Samford in
Birmingham. Finally, they’ll return home to finish out the
month with two more out of conference match-ups against Louisiana
Tech at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 15, and Radford at 2 p.m. on
Saturday, Sept. 25.

“We play a very good non-conference schedule, including
two quality SEC opponents in Auburn and Vanderbilt,” Brizard
said. “Both teams have been very successful and have some
quality national players.”

“Other teams like Samford and MTSU have both had success
in their conferences and will prove to be quality
opponents.”

October kicks off the Ohio Valley Conference portion of the
schedule and the Golden Eagles will split the eight contests evenly
between home and the road. Tech starts off the month playing on the
road during the first two weekends of the month, taking on
Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky on the first weekend before
visiting Murray State and UT Martin the second weekend.

The Golden Eagles get to settle in at home on the final two
weekends of the month. Southeast Missouri visits on Friday, Oct. 15
at 3:30 p.m., followed by Eastern Illinois on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 2
p.m. The next weekend, Jacksonville State visits on Friday,
Oct. 22, at 3:30 p.m., and Austin Peay in in town on Sunday, Oct.
24, at 2 p.m.

The OVC Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 4-7, at the site of the
regular season champion.

“The conference schedule, for me, is very exciting,”
admitted Brizard. “Conference games are about rivalries and
history and nothing can match the excitement of a tight game at
home or on the road with a conference opponent.”

Brizard is confident that the schedule will push the team to its
greatest potential, allowing them to attain the utmost recognition
within the conference and NCAA.

“I think that every team should set the goal of winning
the conference and tournament titles, and earning the bid to the
NCAA,” explained Brizard. “I believe with the group
that is returning, including OVC Player of the Year Jen Hoffman and
Freshman of the Year Kris Cambron, along with some very talented
newcomers, these are all attainable goals.”